Shubert Foundation give grants to 20 Chicago theaters

The New York-based Shubert Foundation looks well past Broadway, giving support to theaters and other arts institutions throughout the country annually. Call it the greenhouse effect.

On Thursday, the Foundation announced they were handing out a total of $24 million to 488 arts organizations across the U.S. for 2015, with 20 Chicago theaters receiving a total of $1.1 million. The Goodman Theater received $310,00, the highest amount among Chicago theaters.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the other recipients are: Steppenwolf Theatre Company ($200,000), Victory Gardens Theater ($100,000), Northlight Theatre ($90,000), Chicago Shakespeare Theater ($70,000), Court Theatre ($60,000), Lookingglass Theatre Company ($60,000), Writers Theatre ($45,000), TimeLine Theatre Company ($30,000), About Face Theatre ($15,000), Chicago Children’s Theatre ($15,000), The House Theatre of Chicago ($15,000), Remy Bumppo Theatre Company ($15,000), Silk Road Rising ($15,000), American Blues Theater ($10,000), American Theater Company ($10,000), Chicago Dramatists ($10,000), Lifeline Theatre ($10,000) Teatro Vista ($10,000) and Theater Wit ($10,000).

“The Shubert Foundation is, by far, the most generous provider of general operating support, something that has declined precipitously in recent decades,” said Roche Schulfer, executive director of the Goodman Theatre. “The money is for producing plays, pure and simple, with no special requirements attached. We’ve received this grant for some years, and it is by far the largest of its kind we get. The Foundation is very scrupulous in their evaluations, and is really focused on the development and production of new American work.”